Integrated circuits (ICs) such as semiconductor devices are moving toward greater integration and performance. For example, in a semiconductor device, the feature size of a circuit element continues to decrease while the operation speed of the semiconductor device continues to increase. One of the concerns associated with the decrease in feature size and increased operation speed is the reliability of the various components. One component of common concern may be the conductive paths between the circuit elements (e.g., the conduction paths commonly referred to as metal lines) because as the feature size decreases, the conduction paths become increasingly small and thin. As the semiconductor device becomes more integrated and operates at higher speeds, the reliability of these very small and thin conduction paths becomes an increasing concern.